Elan
This system is currently in a rough draft phase and not available to be used Elan concentrates a number of concepts in itself, ranging from the attention each individual awakens in a specific Delkavir or Ilakavir, to the gifts with which they endow their priests and agents. However, more than anything else, it measures the “synchronicity” that can be established with them. Just as each Delkavir or Ilakavir personifies concepts or principles, the more a person draws close to the ideas an individual Delkavir or Ilakavir incarnates, the higher the synchronicity level that can be achieved. The reason for this is that as an individual’s essence gains a closer connection to these entities, he benefits from a miniscule part of their powers and abilities. Delkavir and Ilakavir may endow Elan on individuals on account of personal sympathy or the individual’s ability to achieve communion with his or her ideas. A character’s actions may cause his or her Elan to increase or decrease, and with it the Abilities, Advantages, and Disadvantages associated with it. Usually, the easiest way to obtain Elan is to become a priest or agent of the great powers; however, it is also possible for individuals to come to their attention without worshipping them or even being aware of their existence. In those cases, people are in unconscious synchronicity with a Delkavir or Ilakavir, ignoring the source of the Supernatural Abilities granted. 'Synchronicity' Inside the system, Elan translates into a number between 0 and 100 that measures the Synchronicity Level a character has achieved with a specific Delkavir or Ilakavir. This figure will determine the advantages and special skills to be gained on account of the relationship with the entity. Once a character calls the attention of one of them, even if slightly, his or her subsequent actions can work toward increasing or decreasing that affinity. The higher the Elan, the greater the powers that can be channeled. There are two Elan degrees, depending on the quantity each character possesses. If under 50, the relationship established is very feeble and points can be won and lost easily. On the contrary, once the Elan rises above that threshold, the character becomes especially attractive to the entity. At this point, the abilities obtained are greater, but new points are also a lot more difficult to obtain. Each Ilakavir or Delkavir incarnates a multitude of concepts; those in synchronicity with them are not necessarily channeling the same gifts. In the following section you will find a description of the seven Lords of Darkness and the seven Daughters of Light, where the many powers they concede are listed. Characters may employ their Elan points to acquire those Special Abilities closest to their nature and doctrines. Bear in mind, gifts bestowed upon characters on account of having reached certain Elan levels will be lost if their actions cause them to decrease this level. If that should happen, those powers with the highest value will be the first to disappear. Points invested in acquiring Special Abilities are still counted when calculating total Elan. Remember 100 is the highest value to be achieved by a character. It represents the fact that the character has attained a perfect state of communion with the entity, to the point of unconsciously incarnating it. Aside from their cost, these powers require the character to have reached a certain level of total Elan first. On some occasions, the power may also require that the character previously acquires some other minor gift. Example Magnus has received 70 Elan points from Mikael, which affords him the gifts Light of Hope (cost: 5), Keep in the World (cost: 5), Exorcise Evil (cost: 15), Miracle (cost: 10), and Heavenly Resistance (cost: 20). He still would have 15 points to spend; however, he would not be allowed to acquire Resurrection (cost 10) because the gift has a 100-Elan requisite, way above Magnus’ 70. Characters may obtain Elan from as many entities as they wish. They may even acquire points from both Ilakavir and Delkavir, if their actions allow. Unfortunately however, as the synchronicity with one of them increases, the link with the others will begin to weaken, thus reducing the maximum value of Elan they can achieve with the rest. The number of individuals able to earn more than 50 points of Elan is not infinite. The higher the number of people that spur the entity’s interest, the lower the degree of attention that can be paid to all of them. In fact, only his or her incarnation, the chosen one, can really achieve 100 Elan. Many Lords of Light and Darkness do not have anyone to synchronize with on high levels, either because they are too demanding or because they personify principles that are very difficult to follow. Synchronized: This indicates the maximum amount of individuals allowed to reach that level for any given entity. Limit: This is the maximum amount of Elan from other entities to be had by a character. A character with 75 Elan points from a certain entity would only be able to receive 30 points from another. 'The Ilakavir' 'Mikael' The Soul of God Mikael is the first among the Ilakavir – the most powerful and important of all the Daughters of the Light. She is extremely consonant with C´iel’s ideas. and she generally acts as her spokeswoman and representative. She was also the first one to feel the need to form part of the existence which is alien to all of them, and fused a fragment of her essence with reality, as her Lady had done before. Mikael incarnates the purest guiding principles of creation, without which all living beings would be completely lost – hope and salvation. For centuries, she has looked after the flourishing of all of Gaïa’s races, giving little thought to their affiliation to the Light or the Darkness. She never felt any desire to be worshipped. Although several cultures considered her a deity, her only goal was always to help and inspire others. Nevertheless, she felt a strong empathy with the principles and basic concepts of the Church when they were developed. Fascinated by them, she slowly began to respond to the fruitless prayers directed to Alkavir, until in time, she became the most benign and merciful face of the god of men. Those who synchronize with her are people of great hope in the future who try to help others; they are, above all, strong believers of salvation. 'List of gifts' Light of Hope: Characters become a source of hope for others wherever they go. Their mere presence stirs the joie de vivre in people little by little, and they give bliss back to the world. Those in daily contact with them are never discouraged nor lose their faith. Cost: 5 Requirements: Elan 10 Eliminate Disease: It enables characters to heal any disease they encounter with a single roll. The difficulty is 100 minus the characters Elan level. Cost: 10 Requirements: Elan 20 Keeping in the World: Characters may immediately bring back to life individuals in a state of being between life and death, simply by imposing their hands on the subject. Cost: 5 Requirements: Elan 30 Heavenly Resistance: This gift gives characters a special bonus equal to half the amount of their Elan to all of their Resistances. Cost: 20 Requirements: Elan 40 Exorcise Evil: Communion with Mikael enables characters to exorcise supernatural beings of a naturally negative essence. Exorcism works just like the Banish Ability, meaning that any creature failing the required roll will be expelled from the material plane and brought back to the Flow of Souls or The Wake. This ability may also be used on powers the creature has employed to harm others directly. It may only be applied once per creature as long as the character’s Elan does not increase. The character gains a bonus to their roll equal to half their Elan level when attempting to exorcise a creature. Cost: 15 Requirements: Elan 50 Aura: It grants the ability to extend a character’s Resistance bonus to any individual around the character he or she does not choose to exclude deliberately. The ability’s action radius is half the character’s Elan level in yards. For instance, anyone with 80 Elan points would concede a +40 bonus to Resistances in a 40-yard (120-foot) radius. Cost: 10 Requirements: Elan 50, Heavenly resistance Miracle: Communion with Mikael enables characters to recreate any of the minor miracles performed by saints as told by the legends. This is a small effect ability that under no circumstance may imply a harm to anyone. (i.e. walking on water, multiplying food…). Miracles will be more or less powerful depending on the character’s Elan level. Cost: 10 Requirements: Elan 60 Undo Negative States: This gift dispels any harmful state present in any one individual, including the character himself. In the cases of negatives provoked by physical defects, it does not dispel them completely, but it reduces them to half their original value. Effects caused by supernatural means are not immediately undone, but the affected character may repeat the Resistance Check once. Cost: 10 Requirements: Elan 70 Savior: Whenever characters perform an action tending to save a life, Mikael endows powers that reduce the level of difficulty on any Check they need to make by half the characters Elan level. They also receive a +40 on opposed checks. Cost: 10 Requirements: Elan 70 Heavenly Essence: Characters are so close to Mikael that they can invoke her angels when they need their help. They are usually Maidens of the Light, although other similar entities may also perform this task. Angels are not obligated to obey, but they usually will agree to anything they are asked to do because of their close relationship with Mikael. Characters are entitled to one summoning per month, but they may repeat it, sacrificing 1 Elan point permanently per additional call. Cost: 15 Requirements: Elan 80 Rise from the Dead: By adhering entirely to the concepts embodied by Mikael, characters gain the ability to give life back to the dead if they have died against their will. Those who have not yet received The Calling can be brought back for absolutely no cost at all. On the contrary, bringing back those who have already returned to the Flow of Souls will cost 1 permanent point of Elan for each month elapsed since their death. The ability is useless in reincarnated or destroyed spirits. Cost: 20 Requirements: Elan 90 Resurrection: Mikael’s chosen ones are never too far from salvation, even in death. This gift will allow the character in question to return from the dead with all of his or her faculties untouched. If the body is completely destroyed or has been injured severely, it will be regenerated automatically at the time of its resurrection. This will only work if the character still has things to do in the world and has the drive to live. Soul-destroying may still annihilate the character completely. Cost: 10 Requirements: Elan 100 'Modifiers' 'The Delkavir' 'Zemial' The End of Days Zemial, the shadow of existence, the burden of all life – there are so many names for a nightmare that never should have been named. Many arguments are made to sustain his status as the greatest among the Delkavir and Ilakavir, but Darkness itself states his power is only comparable to his insanity. Some legends say that after the War of Heaven, he exterminated entire races; others say he rebelled against his own. Whatever his actions may have been in the past, time has washed them away. The only thing we know for sure is that Gaira himself locked Zemial away in the darkness to prevent him from acting freely upon the world, and chained him to the Void as punishment for his disobedience. The very thought of the existence of a concept like Zemial is a contradiction. It incarnates unchained destruction, despair, and death without meaning or purpose – it is the end of all existence. He makes no distinction between Light and Darkness; to him all that exists must be destroyed. There is no record of cults who openly worshipped him, although there have been cases of individuals slightly synchronizing with him. These are destructive beings that neither seek nor need justification for their acts, subjects with nothing to lose or gain in life and, usually, with some degree of psychotic disorder. 'List of gifts' Spiritual Assault: It enables characters to kill any kind of creature, even one of an immaterial nature or one with immunity to traditional attacks. In gaming terms, it allows a character to damage Energy as described in the Ki ability Aura Extension Cost: 5 Requirements: Elan 10 Demented Yearning: Once they have killed, the characters’ killer instincts are awakened, allowing them to ignore any psychological attempts to be calmed down in any way. If they wish, they may dive into a Rage state and receive a +10 bonus to any offensive action leading to kill. The ability will linger for half an hour after having provoked death. Cost: 5 Requirements: Elan 20 Increased Damage: Any violent action performed by the character will have a strong increased effect. The ability will heighten Base Damage on any attack by 1. Cost: 10 Requirements: Elan 30 Animic Damage: The characters’ attacks not only affect their victim’s body, they also have a direct effect on his spirit. Damage produced through this ability will not be recovered naturally, and wounds will not heal through conventional methods. The only way victims can recover is through spells or mystical abilities. Cost: 10 Requirements: Elan 40, Spiritual Assault Destroyer: Those who possess this gift are able to destroy inorganic objects by mere contact, turning them to ashes or causing them to burst into pieces. In this way, they are able to disintegrate any object with a with a roll, difficulty equal to 100 minus their current Elan level. Cost: 15 Requirements: Elan 50 Lord of Destruction (Touch): This gift grants the ability to destroy other creatures simply by touching them. Upon the character’s wish, anyone in contact with him will need to pass an 1d100 roll with a difficulty equal to the character’s current Elan level. Upon failing this roll the target suffers a number of damage equal to the different between their roll and the difficulty divided by 10, rounded down with a minimum of 1. Thus if a character with an Elan of 80 uses this and touches a character who fails by 34 that could takes 3 points of damage. The target must resist this effect for each round they remain in physical contact with the character, but upon succeeding three times becomes immune to its effect temporarily. Cost: 10 Requirements: Elan 50 Exterminating Presence: The characters’ mere presence is like poison to all that exists. Anything a few feet away from them will die or weaken slowly, plants will wither wherever they go, and people’s health will deteriorate. Anything caught in this aura suffers a penalty to all physical actions equal to half the character’s Elan level. Cost: 10 Requirements: Elan 60 Lord of Destruction (Sight): The field of action is widened; the ability permits a character to inflict damage just by staring. The difficulty for this is equal to only half the character’s Elan level but otherwise works exactly the same as the Touch version. Both versions cannot be used at the same time. Cost: 10 Requirements: Elan 60, (Touch) Lord of Destruction (Aura): Synchronicity with Zemial has reached such proportions that the destructive essence of the character extends to his or her surroundings like an aura, provoking damage to everyone within a 30-foot radius. The difficulty is equal to one third of the character’s Elan level and like before those who succeed this check three times become temporarily immune. It cannot be used at the same time as the Touch or Sight verison. Cost: 10 Requirements: Elan 70, (Sight) Destructive Assault: It grants the ability to damage any creature regardless of power, supernatural presence, or special immunity. Those victims whose lives are taken by him or her will have their souls completely destroyed instead of returning to the Flow of Souls. Cost: 15 Requirements: Elan 80 Blood of insanity: Zemial’s blood of dementia runs through the character’s veins, allowing them to infect others with it. Whoever drinks it will suffer the consequences of a powerful supernatural poison with an instantaneous effect and a difficulty 140. Those who fail the Resistance will enter a communion state with Zemial, thus gaining 50 Elan points from the entity (except, of course, if they already possessed a higher value), but losing their mind in the process. From then on, the affected characters will turn into madmen obsessed with killing and destroying everything that crosses their path, not minding their own personal security at all. If healed of this madness the character will lose their connection to Zemial and the Elan points gained from it. Cost: 20 Requirements: Elan 90 Bearer of Catastrophes: In this level, unchained destruction and madness are one with the incarnation. The arrival of Zemial’s chosen one brings forth all kinds of natural cataclysms and disasters. Volcanoes erupt, earthquakes, hurricanes, and hail lash the earth, the seas go mad, ravishing the coastlines, and fire falls from the skies wherever they go. Terrible consequences will always ensue from these events, and thousands of lives will be lost tragically for no reason. Cost: 10 Requirements: Elan 100 'Modifiers'